Sound Series - Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru

SOUND SERIES is a small-format publication by Ningen that introduces musicians with distinctive aesthetics and narratives who remain lesser known. This issue features Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou, an Ethiopian pianist and composer. Born in Ethiopia in 1923, Emahoy studied classical music in Europe and built her own musical world, moving between monastic life and secular musical pursuits. Her music blends Ethiopian traditional melodies with Western piano styles, creating a quiet sorrow and meditative feeling that gently touches the listener’s deepest places. Beneath the gentle repetition, slow pace, and simple structures lies an intense inner world. Emahoy’s music evokes a sense of maternal love that you might unexpectedly encounter at the end of the day or around some quiet corner of life.

Text: Ganghyeon Paeg
Design: Ganghyeon Paeg